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State takes aim at welfare waste, fraud

Published On: Mar 28 2013 01:03:36 PM EDT

BOSTON -

The Massachusetts welfare system has launched what it calls a "100 day action plan" to weed out waste and fraud.

Stacey Monahan, interim commissioner of the Department of Transitional Assistance, announced Thursday that the program is designed to strengthen welfare programs and ensure that only those eligible for benefits receive them.

Her predecessor resigned last month over several scandals including allegations that millions of dollars in benefits had been handed out to people with unconfirmed eligibility and the agency had overpaid federal food stamp recipients by almost $28 million since 2010.

Monahan's plan includes hiring an external auditor to perform an independent review and recommend improvements to program integrity, administration, finance and operations.

The plan includes better cross-referencing welfare recipient information with the Registry, Revenue Department, and education department.

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